


Puzzle Pieces Falling into Place

by wafflesfriendswork



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/F, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 03:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7343446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflesfriendswork/pseuds/wafflesfriendswork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Leslie and Ann meet/see each other around town, pre-series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Puzzle Pieces Falling into Place

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help but think about all the times Ann and Leslie might have seen each other around town (pre-series, obviously) and not realized what would happen, so I decided to write about it.
> 
> They are told from either Ann or Leslie's POV. None of them are connected to each other at all, and there isn’t a specific timeline, aside from the fact that they all take place before the show started. A lot of these ‘settings’ are just Ann and Leslie, but there might be other characters referenced.
> 
> This is my first fic on this site and all mistakes are mine. I'd appreciate feedback!

 

**Bookstore**

Ann was walking into the Pawnee bookstore after work one day. She had been thinking about what she wanted to read while she was at work, and had a few titles in mind. 

As she was making her way to the fiction section, she heard a passionate voice arguing with an employee. 

"No, this book shouldn't be here. It's a book about parks, not famous historical places to visit in Indiana!" 

“Ma’am-“ the employee tried to explain.

“She agrees with me!” Ann was surprised to find that the woman was talking in her direction, and that she had actually stopped to listen.

“Uh-” Ann started to say.

“A book about parks should not be in the historical section about famous places in Indiana, right?” The woman had fire burning in her eyes - not directed at Ann, or even at the store employee, but Ann could sense that this person emitted passion in everything she did.

“I mean, I don’t think it should be here, either,” Ann agreed, trying not to get the employee upset. “But also, I don’t see a display for books about parks, either, so this is probably the next best category.” This was Pawnee - and Ann didn’t even know the bookstore had any books about parks at all, much less enough to warrant their own section. 

“Well, I still think this wasn’t the right place, but I agree with her, there aren’t many other places this book would fit.” She paused to take a breath. “But maybe you could order more books on parks so they could have their own section!” The woman looked so hopeful and excited, Ann wouldn’t have the heart to say no to her. Clearly the employee didn’t either, because he mumbled something about asking the manager if they could possibly fulfill that request. 

Satisfied, the woman said, “thank you! Now, do you have the latest book on Eleanor Roosevelt?”

Ann smiled to herself and made her way on over to the fiction section. She could hear the woman excitedly talk to herself about whatever book she had found, which did not even come close to her excitement when the employee brought her whatever book she had asked him for. 

**Grocery Store**

Ann had to stop over at the grocery store after work because she needed some supplies for dinner - although whether or not she’d make said dinner when she got home was anyone’s guess.

She made her way down the aisles, looking for what she needed, when she saw a short blonde woman trying to reach a can of whipped cream on the highest shelf. The woman was trying to use her purse to get the can down, which wasn’t successful and she ended up knocking other items to the ground. Then Ann saw her trying to jump up and get a can, but that also did not work. 

“Excuse me,” Ann said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I in your way?” The woman asked, looking worried, and stepping to the side.

“No, no. I was just wondering if you needed any help reaching the whipped cream.” The woman looked sheepishly at Ann.

“That would be great, thank you so much. I want the whipped cream for my take-home waffles from JJs, and I don’t know why it has to be on the highest shelf. I’ve talked to management about it, but nothing yet, obviously.” Pause for breath. “And I could get one of the cans on the lower shelves, but they don’t taste as good. So.”

Ann smiled and reached up to grab the can, and it was even a struggle for her as well, and handed it to the blonde.

“Take-home waffles, huh? Sounds yummy, and JJs is an awesome diner, one of my favorites.” The shorter woman’s eyes lit up excitedly when Ann mentioned the restaurant.

“Right?! Their waffles are out of this world, I think they must put something in the batter that makes them taste so much better than any other waffle. My coworker Tom thinks I’m crazy.” She smiled. “Anyway, thanks again for helping me. There isn’t always someone around, so I’ve had to resort to really creative measures getting it off the shelves.”

“Not a problem at all, I hope you enjoy your waffles.” 

“I will!” The woman shook the can excitedly.  “Maybe I’ll see you at JJs sometime!” 

As she was walking away, Ann couldn’t help but think that she hoped they did run into one another at some point in the near future. 

**Restaurant (JJs)**

Leslie walked into her favorite restaurant in Pawnee, heck, all of Indiana: JJs. She frequented it approximately nine times a week, usually more, so it wasn’t surprising when they showed her to her regular table (if she was alone, if she was with someone she always got a booth, they seemed better than a table) and put a cup of steaming coffee in front of her.

“The usual?” The waitress, Martha, asked. 

“Yes, please, thank you.” Leslie said happily, and started sipping her coffee. 

She usually brought work with her, and today was no exception. But today was also one of those days when she felt like people watching instead of doing work. She could probably justify it by saying that she was trying to keep current in the community and seeing what they were up to so she could plan better things for them. Something like that. 

One person in particular caught Leslie’s eye. This woman was at the table next to her, sitting alone, reading a book (she couldn’t see the title yet), so already Leslie liked her. This woman was also really pretty. Leslie saw how she interacted with the waitress, all kindness, and that was even more beautiful to Leslie, more than physical looks.    

And then the woman moved the book and Leslie could see it was a biography about Hillary Clinton, and Leslie swore she fell in love. 

She kept reading her book, pausing only when the waitress stopped by her table to ask if she needed anything else. The woman kept making notes on Post-Its and adding them into the book, which Leslie loved. 

The woman must have noticed Leslie staring because she looked up.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Leslie said, sheepishly. “It’s just that I love Hillary and that book is a really good biography.”

“Thank you,” the woman smiled. “I’ve been meaning to learn more about her, and someone recommended this one to me. I like it a lot so far.”

“If you want to read more, I could give you a list!” Leslie exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically, hoping she didn’t scare the woman. “I’m Leslie, by the way.”

“Hi, Leslie, I’m Ann.” Another smile, Leslie got the feeling she didn’t smile much. “I’d love some more books, she’s a pretty great lady.” That was all the ammunition Leslie needed. 

Within a couple minutes, she already had a long list of titles and authors for Ann, who was beginning to look a little overwhelmed. 

“These isn’t any particular order to them, just what I could think of off the top of my head.” A pause. “Plus one of my coworkers, April, was asking for a list the other day. I didn’t know if she was being sarcastic, it had that tone, but… So, I had a lot of the list already done.”

“Thank you so much, Leslie.” Ann said, taking the list. “Unfortunately, I have to be heading to work now, but I will definitely check out these books, and it was so nice meeting you.” 

Leslie nodded and watched as Ann paid her bill and then left. Too late she realized that she had forgotten to ask Ann for her phone number or email, something to get in touch to see if she liked the books.

**Coffee Shop**

Leslie was heading to the local coffee shop for her morning pick-me-up. She usually headed to JJs, because their coffee was, as usual, superior than any other, but she never had enough time in the morning, and JJs coffee was better when she could sit down and eat an entire plate of waffles and whipped cream, anyway. 

She was standing in line when a tall brunette woman walked in behind her. This woman was wearing hospital scrubs, a sweater, and gym shoes.

She looked beautiful.

“Do you want to go in front of me?” Leslie asked. “You probably have to get to work and save lives, make sure nobody sticks anything up their nose that doesn’t belong there.” The woman’s face lit up at Leslie’s last sentence.

“Thank you. No, that’s okay, I have about half an hour before I actually have to go to work. I’m in no hurry,” the woman smiled kindly at Leslie. “Ooooh, they have chocolate croissants! I love those.” 

“Me too!” Leslie smiled. “I love when they heat them up, they’re like, a million times better than they are normally.” 

“Right?! So much better. That plus an iced coffee is the perfect breakfast for me.” 

Leslie realized she was next in line after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“Hi!” She said to the barista. “Can I get a triple espresso with whipped cream, and then whatever she” pointing to the nurse behind her “wants as well.” When said nurse began protesting, Leslie said “don’t worry about it. You nurses do all the real work anyway, it’s the least I can do.” The other woman smiled at Leslie, saying thank you, and placing her order.

As they went to wait for their drinks, they made small talk about the weather and what they were doing this weekend.

“By the way, I’m Leslie. Which you already know because I had to give them my name…”

“I’m Ann.” Ann smiled warmly at her. “Nice to meet you.” Leslie offered her hand, and Ann grabbed it, giving it a shake. 

Leslie couldn’t help but feel like puzzle pieces were falling into place when they shook hands, like all was right with the world in that one moment.

Eventually their coffee was ready (Pawnee wasn’t known for its timeliness in any capacity, coffee shop during rush hour or not). Leslie got her espresso and muffin, and Ann got her iced coffee and chocolate croissant. 

“Unfortunately,” Ann said “I need to be heading to work now.” At Leslie’s disappointed face, she said “I’m sorry, I wish I didn’t have to go make sure people don’t put things up their nose that don’t belong there.” Leslie smiled. “Thank you so much for the coffee and croissant, and I hope to see you around sometime soon.”

Leslie and Ann walked out of the coffee shop.

“Well,” Ann said “I’m that way,” pointing towards the hospital. 

“Oh, I’m going towards City Hall.” Leslie said, pointing the other way. “Maybe I’ll see you around, or at the hospital.”

“Hopefully not, because that would mean you or someone you know is in trouble.” Ann smiled, and then they went their separate ways.

Leslie hoped they would meet again soon. Preferably not in the hospital.

**Library**

“Hi, do you happen to have a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?” Ann asked the librarian at the desk at the Pawnee Public Library. After a couple of minutes, the woman said they did have it, and gave Ann the call number to find it. Thanking her, Ann went to the stacks to find the book she was looking for. 

As she made her way to the circulation desk to check out her book, she saw a woman arguing at the desk. The woman was small and blonde, and appeared to be really angry about something.

“No, I did not check out a book titled How to Get Off: Enjoying Sex After 40! I’m not even 40, and I would never check out a book with that title.” Her voice was steadily rising with each word, punctuated by vicious finger-pointing.

“Ma’am,” the librarian at the desk said “If it’s on your record, we can’t do anything about it, unless you want to launch an investigation with the library.”

“No,” the blonde woman said, “I don’t intend to spend any more time in here. I’ll just deal with it later.”

“Alright, ma’am, can I help you with anything else today?” The librarian seemed happy to get rid of her. 

“No, but thank you so much for help.” The woman said, in the most sarcastic voice she’d heard from anyone in a long time. With that, she practically ran out the door.

“Alright, I can help the next person in line,” the librarian said, and Ann walked up to the desk.

**Hospital**

Leslie wasn’t expecting to start her day off in the hospital’s emergency room, but that’s how things were playing out. 

It all started when Jerry accidentally stapled his hand. Well, he was trying to staple pieces of paper together, but his thumb got in the way. Leslie was the only one who could take him, because everyone else was out of the department on other business.

As they were waiting in the small room, a beautiful brunette nurse walked in. 

“Hi,” the nurse said “my name is Ann and I’ll be taking care of you today. What brings you into the hospital on this beautiful Wednesday morning?” 

Unlike the other nurses Leslie’s dealt with, Ann seemed to not be in a hurry, like she was going to actually take her time in fixing Jerry. 

Like she cared.

“Hi Ann,” Leslie said, because Jerry was having trouble forming words. “This is Jerry. He was trying to staple some papers together, but his fingers got caught and he stapled them instead.” Jerry looked embarrassed as Leslie was describing what happened. “And I’m Leslie. I brought him in because I didn’t think it would be safe to remove it myself.”

“Hi Leslie. Well Jerry,” Ann said, smiling kindly “let’s see if we can get you fixed up without needing stitches, so you can get back to stapling those papers. Well, maybe you should have someone else finish doing that.” Leslie and Jerry laughed at that, Leslie more than Jerry.

As Ann was looking at Jerry’s hand, she kept making smalltalk, asking him and Leslie where they worked, if they liked what they did, stuff like that. If either her or Jerry had been nervous, they wouldn’t have been thanks to Ann’s bedside manner. Well, it was more like chair-side manner.

“So, I should be able to take this staple out and you shouldn’t need stitches or anything, but I will need to clean it before I send you home.” 

“Thank you, Ann.” Jerry said, looking relieved. “My wife would not be happy if I came home with more stiches again.” Ann smiled. 

“Don’t worry, and you should be out of here within an hour, so you two can go back to work.” Ann looked at Leslie. “It’s good you brought him in, though.” Leslie smiled.

Ann took out the staple, cleaned the wound, and filled out his discharge papers all within an hour. Quickest hospital visit ever. 

“Okay, Jerry, it looks like you’re good to go. Leslie, maybe you should finish stapling the papers at work today.” 

“Thank you so much, Ann.” Leslie said, with Jerry echoing. “We really appreciate it, and normally I’d say that we hope to see you again, but since this is a hospital, I hope we don’t see you here anytime soon.” Leslie blushed, embarrassed.

“It’s okay, I know what you mean.” Ann smiled at Leslie. “I hope we meet again under better circumstances. And Jerry, I hope you don’t come back here anytime soon, either. Wouldn’t want to make your wife upset.” 

“I hope so, too, Gayle is going to be upset when she finds out about this, and I didn’t even need any stitches today.” 

“Well you can take your paperwork to the nurse at the desk and then you’re free to go.” She looked at Leslie as she spoke. “I hope the day gets better for both of you.” Ann smiled. 

Ann says goodbye again, washed her hands, and went out of the room, onto her next patient. 

Leslie couldn’t help but hope she’d meet Ann again, maybe at JJs or a City Hall meeting or something.

**The First Meeting**

Ann saw a flier for a meeting of City Hall on Monday night, and she wasn’t going to go, because she didn’t care about politics, but then she remembered that she had a boyfriend at home who had broken both his legs because of a pit and that maybe she should go and at least bring the empty pit up to someone. 

The meeting was going well, but when there was a lull, Ann stood up. She looked at the blonde woman running the meeting. She’s pretty, Ann thought, and the woman looked at her a second longer than she needed to.

“Hi, my name is Ann Perkins. I’m a nurse, and, um, I don’t really care about politics.” The room applauded. Ann explained her situation and the next thing she knew, the woman, Ann thought her name was Leslie, is offering to help her fill in the pit. Ann couldn't remember if she'd seen her around town before or not. 

To say that Ann was surprised would be an understatement. The only experience Ann had with government was when she needed a new recycling bin, and, now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember if she had ever gotten one.

But this woman cared, Ann could tell. 

After the meeting, she offered to meet Ann for coffee so they could talk about plans to start filling in the pit. Ann couldn't help but feel like things were slowly falling into place.

Working with Leslie would be interesting, and who knows what could happen in the future? 


End file.
